Remembering Entrepreneur and Inventor Vernon Strege

Vernon “Vern” Strege was known throughout his life as tinkerer, someone who solved problems and loved to create, an engineer. At the age of 93, he was awarded a US patent for an internal combustion engine design.

“He had thought about the idea for years,” said Debra Zulich, his daughter. “After our mother passed away, he decided to really pursue it, presumably as a way to keep his mind busy.”

Strege had worked on the invention on and off since the 1970s. Prior to finishing it, Strege had put it away for many years.

“It is an internal combustion engine design that uses rack and pinion instead of crankshaft and a connecting rod,” said Dennis Strege. “It greatly increases the efficiency of the engine design. I remember being in high school, and, you know, talking about it and brainstorming, etc.”

Strege worked with Hartman Global IP to secure his patent.

“Hartman Global IP helped make it possible for my dad to secure his decades-long dream of patenting his internal combustion engine design,” said Doug Strege. “He really enjoyed working with their team and collaborating on his vision.”

Strege loved working on his hands-on projects and tinkering on products that he had in his own workshop in the backyard.

“My parents built a big house after they retired, and he had, I forget how big it was, a 40 x 50 foot shop maybe,” said Dennis. “But it was detached from the house so that he could leave all that out and come back in the house and let mom have her nice home. They got along just fine.”

After his passing, his son Dennis Strege and his grandsons inherited Strege’s tools. They cherish them to this day. Strege’s family consider the tools as an honor to his life. In a way, they remind them of the hardworking pace Strege kept, even towards the end of this life.

“He always had to keep busy,” said Dennis Strege.

In addition to his tools, tinkering, and mechanical work, Strege was active in other ways too.

“He had perfect memory,” said Zulich. “He was still playing the harmonica and piano. His favorite thing was going out to breakfast and he had all his places where he enjoyed going to eat!”

When Strege passed away in 2025, he was still working on mechanical projects. Virtually nothing slowed him down, even after he found out he had cancer.

“He had been very well,” said Zulich. “He was redoing a Model T for a pastor friend of his, and on Saturday, he was out working on it. He died nine days later,”

Strege’s patented invention has certainly left a legacy for his children, grandchildren, and beyond. Perhaps it is his persistence in creating the invention and securing the patent that is the biggest legacy of all.